By Jonathan Dienst, Rebecca Shabad and Ben Kamisar -
NBC News
In the 24 hours since former President Donald Trump was indicted, the indicting judge and his family have received threats, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
These threats, so far, are unfounded, the sources detailed.
According to one official, "dozens" of threats have recently been directed at Judge Juan Merhan and his office.
The source did not specify the exact moment of the same.
Judge Juan Merchan in his office in New York in October 2021. Ahmed Gaber/The New York Times/Redux
The other source said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other senior officials in his office continue to receive threats.
The same, also without foundation, have taken place through
calls, emails and letters.
[Trump defends himself after being arrested and pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of document forgery]
The New York Police Department assigned to the prosecutor's office is providing extra security to all affected personnel.
Meanwhile, Court Security officials are tightening the security of the judge and the court as a whole as a precaution.
Trump attacks the judge and his family
The extra security measures come as Trump and his allies have publicly criticized Merchan and his family, including his adult daughter.
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Before his court appearance Tuesday, Trump attacked Merchan on his Truth Social account.
The former president called him a "highly partisan judge" and assured that he and his family are "Trump haters."
In the post, Trump said "HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR 'KAMALA' & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN."
Trump has also attacked Judge Merchan online and during his speech in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, after he was arrested Tuesday in New York and released on parole.
Trump's adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, also posted links to conservative media stories that focused on the work of Merchan's daughter.
When asked about comments made by Donald Trump and others about Merchan and his family, a spokesman for the court system said the judge had no comment.
Judge Juan Merchan (right) speaks to former President Donald Trump (far left) in a drawing of a moment from Trump's court appearance in New York on Tuesday.AP
The judge's daughter was mentioned during the 2020 election cycle as president of Authentic Campaigns,
a firm Harris used for digital fundraising and campaign ads.
She was also mentioned as president and partner of Authentic Campaigns in a 2020 post on the firm's website.
Authentic Campaigns identifies as "a digital agency progressives can trust to get the job done right."
[What the historic criminal indictment against Trump means for his intentions to retake the White House: five keys to the case]
Federal campaign finance reports show that Authentic has worked with various Democratic groups, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign and Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
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There is no available evidence to suggest that the judge's daughter did any subsequent work for Biden
, and no evidence to suggest that she "now" works for Biden's political operation.
Authentic did not respond to requests for comment.
The White House condemns the threats
During the White House press conference on Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration condemns "any type of attack against any judge."
Jean-Pierre declined to comment directly on the Trump case but said that "more broadly"
such attacks were unacceptable.
[The Manhattan prosecutor replies to Trump and affirms in a statement that “attempts to intimidate” will not be tolerated]
"I'm not going to talk about the case, specifically, but that is something that we definitely condemn," he said.
Trump hides behind freedom of expression
Trump was indicted Tuesday on 34 counts of falsifying records related to secret payments made in 2016.
[The accusation explained, how the prosecutor justifies it and the response from Trump's legal team]
When NBC News asked Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, if the former president's campaign was concerned that the attacks on Bragg and Merchan could harm the former president's legal efforts, Cheung responded in a written statement Wednesday that "the Constitution guarantees a fair trial and free speech. President Trump is showing all the facts. Facts matter."
The judge in the Trump case was born in Bogotá and immigrated to the US at the age of 6.
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April 4, 202301:39
Last month, Bragg received a letter containing a death threat and white powder.
The FBI and the New York police said they were investigating the incident.
The letter, addressed to Bragg, read: "ALVIN: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!'" the sources claimed.
The missive contained a small portion of white powder.